Recreational vehicles, including golf carts, are often supplied with top coverings or canopies and windshield assemblies to protect occupants from foul weather, wind and sun. Many conventional recreational vehicles, such as golf carts, include a frame support system attached to the cart body that includes front and rear vertical frame posts which support the top covering and windshield assembly. The windshield assembly is typically attached to the posts on the vehicle front and protects the occupants from wind and weather while moving.
Various types of windshield assemblies have been employed, including single and multi-panel windshields as well as windshields which open, are detachable or are fixed to the vehicle. Golf carts with windshield assemblies that open have been made in various forms. Many of these windshield assemblies include an upper panel that is hinged on its lower edge to a lower panel that is fixed to the vehicle. The upper panel is movable between a closed or raised position and an open or lowered position. In the closed position, the windshield panel is connected to the frame support posts, thereby blocking entry of wind or rain into the cab portion of the golf cart. In the open position, the panel is lowered away from the golf cart frame, thereby creating an opening for ventilation and the like.
The hinges that are typically employed to interconnect the upper and lower panels of the windshield typically include a flexible hinge member that fits between the upper edge of the lower panel and the lower edge of the upper panel. The hinge member is fixed to brackets or the like that are then attached to the windshield panels via screws, adhesive or the like. An exemplary windshield arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,720 to Moore et al., the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety.
Windshield hinges of this configuration have generally performed adequately. However, they can be relatively expensive to install on the windshield panels. In addition, retrofitting of a windshield panel that is broken or damaged is difficult.